St. Paul

The results of French-Canadian settlement in Alberta are manifest in the population of St. Paul. Colonizing priests who first arrived in the area in the late 1800s believed they could preserve French language and culture on the prairies by grouping settlers in parishes, and administering to the needs of the Métis and First Nations populations. While their dreams of a majority French, Roman Catholic Alberta were not to be realized, many Francophone families laid strong roots in the area and scattered in homesteads, hamlets and villages throughout the northeast region of the province.

Their memories and life stories, and those of the Métis settlers who first occupied the region, were shared with their descendants, many of whom still live in St. Paul today. This successful transfer of culture between generations has helped make St. Paul one of the most vibrant French communities in the province.